Girls Will Be Girls
by L. Lee Anderson
Summary: AU Boys will be boys: boys fight and get dirty. Girls...Girls tend to play nicer. When Ms. Figg sees Violet being abused, she gets rescued and finds a father in the most unlikely of people. FemHarry
1. Preface

' _Boys will be boys,'_ Arabella Figg told herself. _'They get dirty and get bruises. That's what boys do. Girls…girls generally like to place nice.'_

The little old lady had been walking by the park when she had spotted little three-year-old Violet Potter sitting on the park bench with banged up shins. The little girl's cousin was a few feet away on the swings, being pushed by his mother. The little plump boy giggled as his mother made sound effects. Ms. Figg figured she'd be at home guessing the rest of the day unless she asked the red haired child what happened to her little legs. Gathering her courage, she hobbled over in her little old lady fashion.

"Hello Miss Violet," the graying woman said as she sat down on the bench next to the child.

"Hi," the girl said, looking at her feet. Ms. Figg was the one that babysat her when Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon went somewhere with Dudley. She had lots of cats.

"It's a nice day outside, dear," Ms. Figg stated. "Why aren't you playing on the swings with Dudley or going down that big blue slide?" The park wasn't very big but it did have a few swings and a swirling slide that all the children loved.

"Dudley's mean to me. He gives me owwies," Violet said, crossing her arms.

"Is that what happened to your shins?" The elderly woman asked. Petunia had her back to the two of them so they had yet to be noticed.

"No not Dudley."

"Did you fall down and get those owwies then?"

At that the little girl looked up at Ms. Figg. The woman gazed back down into the mismatched eyes: one hazel, one green. "Sorta," the three year old replied. "I guess so."

"What do you mean you guess so, Violet?" The gray haired lady asked. She was quite concerned.

"Uncle felled me down," her bottom lip jutted out like she was going to cry. She huffed but no tears fell. "And auntie pinched me right there," she pointed to a purpling bruise on her shoulder that Ms. Figg hadn't noticed before now. The old woman's eyes grew with worry.

At that moment, Petunia Dursley glanced over her shoulder to check on her niece. Seeing her with the neighbor, she hurriedly picked up her plump son Dudley and strolled over to them. "I'm sorry she's bothering you Ms. Figg," the blonde woman said with her son on her hip. "Come on Violet I think you've had enough trouble for today. Let's go home."

Obediently, the little three-year-old stood up from the bench. She winced as she placed her feet on the ground. This did not escape Arabella Figg's notice, though she kept quiet about it. The trio began walking away, the woman holding her son carefully while the girl walked next to her. 'Not holding hands,' Ms. Figg thought.

Before they walked across the street, Violet turned around. Her hazel and green eyes found the blue of the elder woman. "Tell the Bumble Door!" The red head called. "The Bumble door won't like it!"

Her aunt shushed her and she turned back around. Ms. Figg stayed on the bench with a puzzled look as the family trooped back to their house on Privet Drive. ' _Bumble Door sounds an awful lot like Dumbledore,'_ she thought to herself. The thought of the little girl with bruises telling her to go talk to her boss encouraged her all the more that she needed to meet with the old man. He told her Violet would be safe with her aunt and uncle. Minerva, her old friend, shared her concern and informed her to talk to Dumbledore if _anything_ came up that was disturbing. If the bruises weren't disturbing, then knowing his name sure as hell should be!

She pulled herself together and walked quickly back to her house. Ushering her cats out of the living room, she strode to the fireplace. The old woman's blue eyes were wild as she picked stepped into it and yelled "Dumbledore's office!"


	2. Chapter 1

"Dumbledore!" Ms. Figg began shouting as soon as she landed in the headmaster's office. "Dumbledore! Dumbled-oh." She spotted the old man at his desk, rifling through papers. He smiled heartily at her.

"My, my Arabella to what do I owe the pleasure?" He removed his spectacles and stood up to welcome his visitor. They shook hands in greeting before the squib all but collapsed into the wooden chair at the front of his desk. The chair quickly turned into an overstuffed recliner, thanks to Dumbledore. She beamed gratefully before launching into her tale.

"Sir I have reason to believe that Violet Potter is not safe at Privet Drive," she said carefully, eying his reaction. He merely smiled as if waiting for her to continue. "I was at the park today when I saw her and her aunt and cousin. Petunia wasn't paying attention pushing that chubby little boy on the swings. She had bruises all over her Albus! And when I asked her she said her uncle had pushed her and that her aunt pinched her! It's also clear that her cousin must bully her too! Before I could get more out of her, Petunia took her home," Ms. Figg paused, not sure if she should reveal what else the child had said. Deciding it was a mere coincidence, she continued. "I know you said it was safe there but please listen. She's already small for her age and a little skinny. I know there's more than enough food in that house to feed her: that man, Vernon, is huge."

Albus Dumbledore listened quietly and observed the worked up state of the woman. "Now Arabella-"

"Don't you Arabella me Albus Dumbledore! Something is going on with that little girl. She doesn't play and I've never seen her with any toys of her own. I gave her a doll when I babysat her once and she just stared at it like she didn't know what to do with it!"

The old man sighed and stroked his beard. "I'm sure you're overreacting, my dear Ms. Figg-"

"I am NOT overreacting!" He held up his hand to silence her.

"As I was saying, I'm sure you are over reacting but I will investigate the matter at hand. I'll try and stop by sometime this week to observe the child."

"Some time this week?!" Ms. Figg screeched. She all but attacked the man. Did he not realize what was happening to this little girl? No one should have to put up with that kind of abuse. Underfed, bruises, and that sore foot were all things that should be looked at…heaven help the old woman if the abuse had or would turn sexual. The sudden thought made the old woman's blue eyes widen. "I demand-"

A knock at the door stopped Arabella Figg's tirade. Dumbledore welcomed any person who could help him calm down the irate Ms. Figg. He had too much on his plate today already. "Come in," he called.

The door opened to reveal a man in black robes. "Headmaster, the Perry brothers have- oh hello Ms. Figg," he said, his annoyed face changed to that of indifference.

"Ah Severus," Dumbledore smiled, "I believe you remember Ms. Figg?"

"Yes the one who checks on the Potter brat," Snape nodded. He tried to hide the look of utter distaste on his face. He had come to the Headmaster's office to inform the man that the Perry brothers, fourth year and sixth year, had managed to get toilet paper to fall on anyone entering the first floor bathrooms. The welfare of the small girl mattered little compared to the fact that he, Snape, had fallen victim to the prank mere minutes ago. He had vanished all the toilet paper off of him after leaving the bathroom with a scowl but had missed a sheet on his lower back.

"Excuse you _Professor_ but that little girl is not a brat. She is a sweet innocent creature who appears to be being raised by people who despise her as much as you do," Ms. Figg huffed. She glared heavily at him. It wasn't his fault though to have walked in on an unknown dispute about the living situations of said child.

"Dear Severus here had a bit of a disagreement with the child's father if you remember, Arabella. I'm sure he means nothing by his comment," Dumbledore stated trying to keep things from getting out of hand in office that had been peaceful minutes ago. "Now as I was telling you Ms. Figg, I'm afraid I can't come and see the child for a few days yet." He paused with a twinkle in his eye. He glanced at Severus. "However I do believe Severus has a free period right now." The man in question glared at the elder wizard.

"He just called little Violet Potter a brat? How would he give an unbiased opinion of her living situations?" The old woman demanded. She did not come to Hogwarts only to be turned away as a silly fool. She may be a squib but she would not back down to the great Albus Dumbledore.

"I assure you, he will give fair assessment of the situation," Dumbledore sent a quick glance as Severus who had once again wiped his face of all emotion. "I trust his judgment as my own." Snape knew Dumbledore would pull that card. It was an unnecessary way to guilt trip him into doing what the old man wanted. Black eyes met blue and an understanding was met.

"I will go with you Ms. Figg and I promise to behave accordingly," Snape almost grumbled. He understood he was to be there as Dumbledore's eyes and ears, not as himself.

"If there are any problems after this Ms. Figg, I promise you I will take care of it myself." Dumbledore returned to his desk, dismissing them both. The woman opened her mouth to say one more thing but, seeing the look the headmaster had as he peered over his half moon glasses, she concluded this discussion was over…for however short of a period, it was to be was in Snape's hands. She would just force the black haired man to see the truth of the situation.

With a nod from Dumbledore, Snape spoke to the woman. "Lets get this over with Ms. Figg. I have some students that need to be disciplined, namely those foolish Perry boys," he scowled. Those boys would get away with their idiotic prank for now, but once the so-called bat of the dungeons returned, there would be punishment for those two. "After you," he curtly said motioning to the fireplace.

She picked up the floo powder and glared at the man. His stare was cold, almost like what she saw in Petunia Dursley's eyes. She looked away, stepping into the flames. "Seventeen Wisteria Walk."  
Brushing the soot off, grey haired woman strode into her living room. A few seconds later, the black clothed man arrived. He sneered, seeing all the cats everywhere.

"My kneazles, be careful of them," Mrs. Figg warned. Snape acted like he didn't hear her as he strode to the door. She followed suite.

"I don't need an escort, Mrs. Figg. I am perfectly capable of finding the house on my own." Blue eyes met black, each glaring at the other. "Point me Violet Potter," he said waving his wand. "I'll be back within the hour."

With that he swept out of the room, robes billowing behind him. 'Stupid bloody wizards,' Arabella thought to her self. She closed the door behind the man and huffed. She wished she had a better view to keep an eye on the blasted man.

Meanwhile, Severus Snape cast a silent disillusionment charm on himself to hide from the prying eyes of muggles. He followed the direction his wand pointed him to and ended up in front of a bland ordinary muggle house, in an ordinary muggle neighborhood. Hearing voices inside, he cast more spells to become invisible and quiet his breathing and footsteps. Peaking through the kitchen window, he saw there was no one in the entryway. He silently slid inside.

A voice cooed in the living room. Noiselessly, Severus crept towards the voice. He moved slowly as to not make any sudden movements, which might be detected considering how invisibility spells sometimes worked.

Finally stepping foot in the spotless living room, Severus stepped next to a small table that contained a bland white vase, to stay out of foot. He was not expecting the sight that greeted his eyes however.

Petunia Dursley was playing with her overweight son while her back was to the little girl with unkempt hair, who sat listlessly a few feet away. The little blonde boy laughed as his mother made airplane noises while he held a rather expensive toy plane. After a few seconds of being in the room, he noticed the girl make a slight movement in the corner of his eye. Removing his attention from the mother and son, Severus turned his attention to the room's fourth occupant. The little girl reached her hand slowly to a toy car laid at Petunia's foot. Her hand gripped it tightly and started to pull away. Severus fully expected Petunia to ignore the girl or push the toy towards her. Instead, the woman slapped her hand away from the toy.

"That's not yours girl. I don't want you to contaminate my precious Dudders," dishwater blonde screeched. She gave the car to her son, who quickly abandoned the airplane to play with other toy.

"Mine!" He cried and he too reached over to slap the young girl. She held up her arm in defense and he hit her forearm bone. Holding his arm close, he howled in pain.

"Look what you did you freak!" Petunia pulled her up by her arm. The little girl was practically dragged out of the room. "I want you to sit in there and think about what you've done." Severus heard a door slam. He had seen enough.

Hurriedly, the wizard took off the charms and spells he had placed himself. The fat little boy, who had remained in the room while his mother left, sat shocked as the man suddenly came into view.

Wordlessly, Severus stunned the boy to keep him from crying out, as Severus had a feeling he would. He slipped into the hallway just as Petunia was turning a key into a padlock on a cupboard door. One word got her attention. "Petunia."

Her head whipped around to the sound. The woman grew more terrified as she realized whom the man was. She pointed her finger accusingly as if to say something. Severus cut her off however.

"She would have expected better of you," he whispered. With that, he stunned her just as he did her son. The look of horror stayed frozen on her face as her body froze and fell over. Without pity, the black haired man pushed her body aside to get to the padlocked door. He pocketed his wand as he manually unlocked the lock and through out the bolt.

Light flooded the inside of the closet. A messy mop of red hair was the first thing he saw as he drew the door open with ease. Two tear dried eyes, one green one brown, stared up at him from under the red mess.

The green eye was the one that got his attention. He hadn't noticed it earlier. It was as if he was transported back in time and he was looking at a young Lily Evans. A ghost of summer breezes gone by brushed his skin. The scent of a hundred old leave piles filled his nostrils. The taste of snowflakes plagued his tongue. Laughter filled his ears…

The mismatched eyes blinked. Suddenly Severus was aware of where he was again. Lily…Lily was dead and had been dead for a while. This child, this was her child. The green eye was hers, the hair was hers, he bet even the laugh was hers.

Severus's heart, which had been hardened years ago and then frozen solid at Lily's death, suddenly melted. This child…this child was hers. She held a piece of her mother inside of her and Severus swore he would never let anything happen to her.

"H-hello there little one," he sighed. "I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

The little girl raised her arms hesitantly above her head. She wasn't allowed to ask to be picked up but she had a feeling this was okay. Her feeling was right as she was soon held tightly up against the man's body.

"No one will ever hurt you again," he repeated in her ear. Severus squeezed her body lightly and kissed her head. "I'm Severus." He stated. "And you, you're Violet aren't you?" She turned her head to look at his face.

"Mhmm 'M Vi'la," she agreed. Severus laughed for the first time in years at her cute little baby talk. It was just as he imagined she would sound.

"Mhmm," he mimicked, "You're Vi'la." She laughed at his impression of her.

"Noooooooo!" She giggled. "'M Vi'la."

"Oh, I see," he tickled her belly. "You're Emvila." She howled with laughter at the tickles and because of how he said her name. "And I'm Severus."

"Siwius!" She shouted with glee.

The black haired man stopped tickling her and nearly dropped her in shock. "No," he corrected. "Sirius is a bad man. I'm a…I'm Severus." He almost said he was a good man, but he was the man that had caused her mother's death. No, Severus Snape wasn't a good man…but he was an okay? man. He would prove it by keeping Violet safe.

"You Sewus."

"There you go little one." He tapped lightly on her nose. "Now let's get going shall we? We don't want the mean lady to wake up." He held her close once more, breathing in her childlike scent. She smelled like baby and Lily. It was heaven to his nose.

Violet snuggled into his shoulder. Severus wasn't going to bother with anything in the house, but noticed something on the little cot. He grabbed it and put it in his back pocket just in case.

Severus, with Violet wrapped around his waist, left the bland house on Privet Drive and headed toward Arabella Figg's house.


	3. Chapter 2

"Back so soon?" Albus asked. His desk faced away from the fireplace. The white head glanced behind him. Whatever he was expecting, that sight was most definitely not it.

Little Violet Potter was on Severus Snape's hip while her hands played with his long locks. Smiles were upon both their faces; a display rarely seen on the potions professor.

"Why hello there," Dumbledore said, standing and strolling to the other end of the room. The little girl moved her unusual eyes from Severus to the elder man. He stood before her in blue robes with twinkling silver stars on them. Her eyes widened. She'd never seen something like that before.

Severus placed her down on the floor and Violet moved towards the man in the odd clothing. "So pwetty," she reached out her hand and caressed the robes. Dumbledore chuckled. Hearing the sound, she shyly retreated; opting to use Severus's legs as a hiding place.

Suddenly the fireplace roared to life. Arabella Figg stepped out looking as angry as a hornet. "Severus Snape! I go out to my garden for two minutes and-" It was then that she spotted little Violet. The woman had thought the man had made a simple glance around the house before deciding to leave. When the floo went off, she believed he went back to school without a second thought. She thought she would have to force him back, if not Dumbledore himself, to do a complete welfare check of the poor red haired child. Thank goodness she was wrong.

"Hello Violet, it's nice to see you again," The anger had left her whole body and was replaced with complete motherly kindness. Even though it had only been an hour since she had last seen the little girl, Violet appeared slightly healthier. A blush covered her cheeks that was otherwise only reserved for the cold.

"'Lo Ms. Figg. This is my new Sewus. He's nice," Violet patted his leg. The two men assumed that she had meant to add 'friend' in between new and Severus. Arabella decided to test that theory.

"Oh your new Severus? What happened to the old one?" She half joked. Dumbledore and Severus both smiled, they were both waiting for whatever silly childish response would come. They were not expecting the answer they got.

Violet's face was solemn as she replied. "Siwius chase the mouse. The clock stwuck one, the mouse wan down hickory 'ickory 'ock." She blinked and glanced up at the grown ups. Severus face held a look of shock. Because of growing up in muggle England, he was familiar with the children's rhyme. It was after all the first verse out of twelve, though he didn't remember all of them.

Arabella, after witnessing what Violet had told her earlier that day about "Bumbledoor", was unsure of the statement. Having taught herself in many muggle ways, she recognized the rhyme.

Dumbledore, he was a different story. He had never heard of such a rhyme before but was thinking along the same lines as Arabella. Even if it wasn't what he thought it was, children can be the most intuitive of all.

"Itsy," the old wizard stated.

 _Pop!_

"Yes headmaster Dumbledore sir? How can Itsy help yous?" A young house elf with wispy brown hair asked. The crisp white tea towel held the school crest on one side of her chest, and the Dumbledore family crest on the other.

"Itsy, would you mind taking our dear Miss Potter to the kitchens for a few minutes. I have some important matters to discuss with Professor Snape and Ms. Figg."

"Yessir Headmaster Dumbledore." The little elf walked quickly to Severus and Violet's side. The mismatched eyes of the human girl widened to the size of saucers. Severus quickly stepped in.

Crouching down, he went to Violet's height. "Itsy is just like everybody else. You listen to her as you would any other grown up okay? If you ask nice, maybe she can give you a cookie." Severus knew he got her attention with that. "Alright you be a good girl Emvila." Violet giggled at that name again.

"I will Sewus."

The little elf reached out her hand to the girl who stood the same height. "This won't hurt a bit, it's magic!" Listening to Severus's advice she took the elf's hand and with a _pop_ they were away in the kitchens, out of earshot.

Dumbledore motioned to his desk; now that the child was gone they could get down to business. Dumbledore transformed the two hard wooden chairs in front of his desk into cozy recliners. He usually had a misbehaving student sitting in one of them, and the comfortableness of the chair usually had them fessing up or squirming in their seat. The fact that they both had a lop-sided leg helped make them even more so awkward, never able to get a good position. The usual use for them was not important now. He needed his guests as comfortable as possible, so they could all get a firm grasp of the situation.

"Dumbledore," Severus sighed, "She is not going back there. I won't let Lily's child be subjected to such cruelty of that horrible muggle women that once was Lily's sister." It was the first time he had said her name in years. It felt odd on his tongue.

"Is it really that bad Severus? You know about the blood wards. They are the only hope we have at keeping her safe," Dumbledore rubbed his temples. It was turning out to be a hard day for the headmaster.

"She has bruises Dumbledore! I've seen that mean cousin of hers push her down and her aunt barely bats an eye! I don't give a rat's ass about blood wards. That little girl won't survive to see Hogwarts!" Arabella shouted. Her kindly demeanor had vanished and the very pissed off version had returned.

"I see…" Dumbledore paused. "What do you two advise we do about this situation? Where will she go?" He gazed at the two, unsure himself what to do. This had not been part of the plan but the welfare of Violet Potter mattered more than anything.

The three of them sat silent for a few minutes. Who would take in the savior of the Wizarding World? Some people would raise her as a political pawn, others as a goddess. Very few people would be able to see her as a normal child who needed love and affection.

"An orphanage perhaps?" Arabella suggested. "She could be adopted into a good muggle home."

"As nice as that sounds Arabella, considering Voldemort's," Ms. Figg shuddered, "background, I won't have her going to somewhere like that." Dumbledore stated and Severus, who knew of this, nodded his head in agreement.

Silence followed for a few more minutes.

"I will take her," Severus said, looking deeply into Dumbledore's eyes. Severus realized that was what he wanted since he truly saw the child.

"You'll WHAT!" Ms. Figg shouted. "You! You hate her! She'd have as good of a chance with you as she would at the Dursleys. No! Absolutely not."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with a thought. An idea had struck and the spark of what Severus said began building a fire. "That's actually not a bad idea Severus. You do care for her, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Severus spoke so sincerely Ms. Figg almost believed it despite herself. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes?" Severus nodded. "I have an idea…"

AN: Sorry it's awfully short you guys...I figured better short than none at all right? I'm working on the next one already so it should be up in a weekish *fingers crosse* follow/favorite/review!


	4. Chapter 4

So very sorry for taking forever to upload this. It's been sitting on my computer forever, waiting patiently to be published. I hope you like it! Xoxo

"What was that name you called her earlier?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling. The idea was growing better every second. It would be absolutely perfect. Flawless.

"Emvila, I'm just saying it how she says it." Severus stated. He felt slightly nervous about being caught doing a childish thing. Arabella Figg gave the black haired man a look but he didn't bother to give her any reaction.

"Emvila…usual…very unusual indeed." Dumbledore sat silently at his desk for a few minutes, contemplating his, or rather Violet's, options. If she continued at the Dursley's who knew if she would ever make it to Hogwarts, let alone defeat Voldemort, if/should he come back. Orphanages would place her in the same position young Tom had, perhaps to even sympathize with him. No, that wouldn't do. If he could guarantee she would be adopted though, it wouldn't be a problem. Which brought him right back to Severus's words. "Would you protect her? Love her like your own? Even hide who she is from herself?" He asked quietly.

"Dumbledore you can't be serious! He-" She stopped at Dumbledore's raised hand. She fumed.

"Arabella, you don't know Severus like I do. First, he saw her as his enemy's daughter. But one look proved to him, she is his loves daughter as well." Dumbledore explained. Arabella's gapping mouth snapped shut as she glanced at the black haired man. She didn't necessarily believe it but…

Severus nodded once at her. "You…" the old squib said, "You loved Lily?" Arabella had only met the witch once but could see how many people adored her. She had known James while he grew up and saw what a difference Lily made in his life. She wondered how many other men Lily had changed.

"I loved her then as much as I do now." He croaked. He had already said his beloved's name once that evening, he wasn't sure he could say it again.

This gave the elderly woman an idea that Dumbledore wished he would have thought of. "If you really do, and you want Violet, I'm sure you wouldn't object to a Vow…"

The Hogwarts kitchens were always hubs of excitement. Not many students wandered passed the staff kitchen. It was for the most part, food that was being cooked specifically for the staff to eat. Professor Trawlany herself ate a very particular diet: green food every other Tuesday, food that started with an R on Saturdays, and every third Friday she needed melted ice from Antarctica to "cleanse". On a few occasions though, she declared she couldn't eat the food for some reason or another and would join the rest of the staff at the Head Table.

This was the kitchen Violet currently sat in with her legs dangling off a counter. "Where the friderwator?" she asked the house elf, who currently was measuring out flour for cookies.

"Itsy doesn't know what that is, miss." The little elf continued onto the sugar, magically lifting a measuring spoon into the clear container and pouring the ingredient into a large yellow bowl.

"Friderwator is…big box that keeps cold things cold. Like..." Her little face scrunched up in thought. "Like milk." Violet thought for sure Itsy was just being a silly grown up, though Severus had said she was an elf. Grown ups sometimes asked silly questions to see if you really knew things.

"We don't need a friderwator, Emvila. We have magic for that." If it were anyone else, Violet would have been a little upset about a grown up, or elf-up? as she guessed was what Itsy was, making fun of the way she talked. But Itsy sounded so nice and sincere that the little red haired girl just nodded.

"Okay." She continued to swing her legs back and fourth. She changed the subject. "Do you make pwesents fo' Santa? Santa didn' give me pwesents last year."

"No I don't work for Santa," Itsy stirred the final ingredients all together and snapped her fingers. Chocolate chips suddenly appeared in batter. "Those are different elves. I'm a house elf. I do cooking and cleaning and things like that."

"Like me!" Violet exclaimed. Petunia Dursley had been trying to get the young girl to start on the household chores, to "earn her keep" as the family said. Violet did the vacuuming and the dishes and the dusting and the sweeping and the mopping. "Am I a house elf?"

Though disturbed by the thought of the little girl doing such things, Itsy plastered a smile to her face. "No silly, yous a little girl. House elves have pointy ears. Do you have pointy ears?" Itsy attempted to change the subject, though she would talk to the headmaster later.

"No!" Violet giggled, though she reassured herself by subtly touching her own ears.

"So yous not a house elf then. Itsy has pointy ears. Yous want to touch them?" Muggle born children were very curious about house elves, Itsy knew. They were the ones that most often didn't know what to say to house elves, or would come down and have long chats with working elves to see what they did.

Shyly, the little witch reached out her hand and hesitantly touched the elf's rather large, rather pointed ear. It felt just like her own. "Ouch!" Itsy cried.

Violet jerked her hand back to her body, horrified at what she had done. Then she noticed the little smile on the elf's face. "You're just kidding!" The girl proclaimed. She paused though, unsure of her conclusion. "You kidding right? I didn't hurt you Itsy." That last part sounded like a question.

"Yes Itsy just teasing Miss Emvila." The two giggled together. "Lets bake these cookies shall we?"

"Do you Severus promise to love and protect Violet Potter as if she were your own?" Dumbledore asked. Both men's faces were stern. They're right hands gripped each other's right fore arms. Cobalt blue magical vines wound around the two.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you promise to care for her and treat her with kindness as if you were her father?"

"Yes, I do."

"Will you keep her from harm and forsake Voldemort, and all others, to keep her safe?" Dumbledore added that last part without telling Severus, wanting to prove to Arabella that the black haired man was sincere.

"Yes, I do."

"Thef are tho 'ummy!" Violet squealed, her mouth filled with cookie. The elf next to her just laughed. They had baked the cookies the "muggle" way, because Itsy wanted to spend some more time with the red haired human child. Also, in elven culture, it was a great way to teach patience in children.

"You mustn't talk with yous mouth filled, young miss Emvila," Itsy motheringly reprimanded her. The she-elf knew that magical parents hated when the children talked with their mouths full. She had heard stories from the other kitchen elves about some families dealing out worse punishments than elves did to themselves. From what she had seen in the little witch so far, she knew those stories were true.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, the red head replied. "Sorry." The girl wasn't sure if she should expect a blow. She ducked her head just in case. They always came unexpected, she knew, so it was always better to be prepared. Even if Itsy had been nice to her, she wasn't sure if it was pretend or not. Aunt Petunia had pretended once when Mrs. Next Door called the nice social worker. Pretend games were very confusing, Violet concluded.

"Yous is fine Mistress Emvila, I don't want yous to gets in trouble," Itsy explained. The pained look in the little ones eyes explained everything. Carefully, the elder of the two stroked the younger's hair. After initially flinching, Violet moved her face into the affection. "Itsy won't hurt young mistress. Master Dumbledore would never like that."

"Okay," Violet said as she put another cookie in her mouth, pushing the subject from her head as young children often do.

"What will you do now then, my boy? Where will you raise her?" Albus asked.

"Well…" Severus started. He thought for a few moments before answering. "My mothers family has place outside of Amsterdam. I have yet to visit it but I've been told it is an delightful property. I'll have to send my elf there to investigate and have it prepared for our arrival. I'd like to have her checked over by Poppy for tonight though. I'm worried about lasting emotional and probably physical damage." Severus brushed a long strand of black out of his face. It was going to take a while to gather his new bearings…and new charge.

"Might I suggest a few things to you Severus? This is, after all, Violet Potter. She needs protection." Dumbledore was thinking a mile a minute trying to think of possible ways to keep the child safe.

"Yes of course, Albus. Your insight is always welcome."

"We need to keep her identity a secret. Your cover as a spy is not to be disturbed unless it's completely unavoidable. So I propose we invent an entirely different history for her. I do like that name you gave her. Emvila sounds lovely. Any idea on a middle name?" Severus shook his head. "We will think of something. I'd also like to do a familial linkage. I'm assuming you've heard of magical adoption?"

"Somewhat," Severus made it sound like a question. "Adoption isn't common among purebloods, so of course it's not in many books."

"I agree. Purebloods do control much of the written word. Magical adoption as you may know requires blood magic. It takes the blood from the parent, or parents, and mixes it with the child's. In the genetic make up, as the muggles call it, it would look like the child has three or four parents. Instead of the child having two options for a gene code, there are three or four. If the adopted father, lets say, had a dominant nose trait that was stronger than the original parents, it would change the child's nose. It also helps prevent hereditary issues as well." Severus nodded along. "There's also _inrita sanguinem_ adoptions. It's a dark version of it. It completely deletes one of the donor's blood. It's very painful for the child. Instead of adding to the genetic makeup, it alters it. If a child was being adopted, the parent could over ride the original mothers make up, cancelling all ties. Blood wards and blood inheritance mean nothing."

Severus scowled. "Of course some pure blood idiot would invent a stupid thing like that. If you can't do something to improve a child, why do it?"

The gray bearded man look downcast. "It was originally invented to cut some one off of a family tree. A bastard child could have no claim to an inheritance." At this, the younger man was horrified. "I know Severus. I feel the same. Anyways, what I suggest is doing a blood adoption. She will look a little like you. People won't question it. If there's not many traits, people will assume it's the mother."

Severus realized he had started to pace at Albus' words. It was a good idea. No one would guess. He stopped pacing. "What will I tell people though? I slept with some random witch and now I have her after three years? Lucius will question it."

"Not if the witch happened to be visiting from… America? Or maybe Australia? That could help put distance. The mother could be dead too." Albus stroked his beard. Yes this is a good sounding plan.

"Brilliant! Some witch was visiting that I slept with; I knew about the child but kept her a secret. She just died so now I'm sole guardian. Brilliant," he said, almost to himself. Lucius would buy that. He didn't know many witches or wizards outside of England, let alone the continent. He would also believe that Severus would try and cover up a mistake like that. The only foreseeable problem would be whether the "mother" was a pureblood or half blood. "Half blood," Severus spoke outside his head without realizing. "Sarah Wood, from the United States. Visiting for a…potion masters conference? No. Herbology. I remember Yaxley complaining about a convention back then. Too many people around the ministry."

"Perfect my boy. Emvila Snape, daughter of the departed Margo Root. A half blood like her father. Its settled then." Albus smiled and stretched out his hand to Severus. They shook hands. "Congratulations, it's a girl."

Severus left the head office, eager to see his new girl. She really was a beauty, all of the good parts of Lily with minor details of James. He hoped for the blood adoption, she would at least keep her one green eye, and perhaps the other got his instead of James. Wishful thinking, he knew. Perhaps her hair would turn black like his, he wouldn't care if it were red or black. He suddenly realized he didn't care how much of him showed up. She would be his. Emvila Snape. His daughter. Emvila something Snape.

Reveiw please xoxo

L. Lee


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